Encanto: Julieta Secretly Knew Bruno Was Hiding – Theory Explained

Bruno Madrigal hid for years in the walls of the magical house in Encanto, but one fan theory claims Julieta knew he was there all along. In Encanto, Alma Madrigal (María Cecilia Botero) receives a miracle on the night her husband dies, sacrificing himself for his family. Alma receives an enchanted candle after her husband’s death, and a magical house springs up around her. Her triplets all receive special powers when they get older, and their children also receive powers. For instance, Alma’s daughter Julieta (Angie Cepeda) can make meals that heal people, and Alma’s son, Bruno (John Leguizamo), has visions of the future.

However, not all of the Madrigals receive gifts. When Mirabel Madrigal (Stephanie Beatriz), one of Julieta’s daughters, was a child, she never received a special power at her gifting ceremony. Because of her lack of powers, Mirabel’s relationship with her Abuela Alma becomes strained. The lack of gifts also causes Bruno to go into hiding. On the night that Mirabel didn’t receive a gift, Bruno had a vision of the future and saw Mirabel standing in front of cracks in the magical house. Wanting to protect his niece and save her from judgment, he went into hiding in the enchanted house’s walls.

Though many family members thought Bruno was gone, there are clues that Julieta may have known her brother was hiding. According to one fan theory (via Reddit), Julieta knew her brother was in the house, and “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” may prove it. Julieta is one of the only characters that doesn’t participate in the Bruno-bashing Encanto song, and it may be because she doesn’t have anything bad to say about her brother. When Mirabel discovers Bruno later in the film, he tells her that he’s been getting free food in the house. Though he could be stealing food, Bruno’s room is right behind the walls of the house’s dining table, leaving Julieta plenty of opportunity to hear her brother and make him extra food.

Julieta knowing about Bruno, or at least having a hunch about him, fits in the story. Bruno is getting food in the house somehow, and people must’ve noticed food going missing in the decade Bruno’s been in hiding. If Julieta knew about Bruno hiding in Casita, that might explain her behavior while making Mirabel an arepa. After Mirabel hurts her hand in Encanto, Julieta makes arepas to heal the wound. However, Julieta makes three arepas in the scene. Mirabel takes a bite of one of them, and she’s good to go, leaving two extra arepas cooking. Either Julieta knows someone in the house is taking extra food, or she’s extremely wasteful. Julieta also mentions how Bruno “lost his way” after Mirabel eats her arepa. So if Bruno is taking the other arepas, he’s definitely hearing her talk about him. And Julieta probably knows he’s listening.

It’s possible that Julieta doesn’t know about Bruno sneaking around the house. The Madrigal family has a lot of mouths to feed, so food could potentially go missing here or there unnoticed. And Mirabel’s mom could be making the extra arepas for meals the next day. Additionally, Julieta seems surprised to see Bruno when her brother returns to the family at the end of Encanto after the house crumbles. If she had known he was in the house, perhaps she’d be a little less shocked to see him. Then again, maybe she was just relieved he didn’t get crushed.

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Bill Bradley
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Bill is an experienced reporter who’s covered entertainment and fandom since 2014. He’s done everything from unearthing the discarded Game of Thrones pilot script in a library in Texas to finding out why Steve left Blue’s Clues. He also enjoys eating Taco Bell and drinking chocolate milk.

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